Karen Palmunen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of French
Contact
Phone: 860.231.5296
E-mail:
kpalmunen@sjc.edu
"I've always been interested in making connections and creating a community of excited learners," Dr. Karen Palmunen says. "I like to encourage students to see how course topics relate to their own lives, to other courses, and to other times and places. I also try to involve all their senses in the learning process, using many different types of teaching aids in the classroom: music, videos, food, art objects, and so on." Dr. Palmunen believes that the discussion and group-activity format helps her achieve these goals effectively. Her "multi-disciplinary" field - French language, culture and literature - is well-suited to this teaching approach.
Dr. Palmunen has always been fascinated by languages and other cultures: how people develop, encode, and express thoughts and values. She says, "It's frustrating to me to see how language and values often divide people. The idealist in me sees language and culture studies as a way to help overcome those divisions." Dr. Palmunen states that she loves teaching "because of the interaction with students and colleagues and the fact that it is never boring. Also, teaching allows me to take my personal philosophy of life and learning and translate it into action. I believe in transformative education, and I am thrilled to be part of a women's college."
Dr. Palmunen has done extensive work with the First-Year Seminar (FYS) program. FYS appeals to her because of its community-building potential. It brings together faculty, staff, administration and students who are working towards the common goal of helping first-year students transition effectively to college.
Degrees
Ph.D., Brown University
M.A., Brown University
B.A., University of Kansas
Research/Publications
"From Dependency to Self-Directed Learning: Implementing an Elementary French Program for Adults in the Weekend College Format," Foreign Language Annals , 28, fall 1995. .
Translation of the essay, "Paul Auster or the Heir Intestate" by French author, Pascal Bruckner, included in Barone, Dennis, ed. Beyond the Red Notebook: Essays on
Paul Auste , Philadelphia, University of Penn Press, 1995.
